Brief History of America

Below, we have collected brief info about history of the United States of America. These facts may be met in the test containing 100 civics questions. It is better to get to know this info.

The first settlers in North America appeared 14 000 years ago. However, the United States was formed and discovered by Europeans only a few centuries ago. In the prehistoric period, the mainland was inhabited by divided tribes, and in the XI century A.D. Scandinavian seafarer, Leif Erikson reached the shores of North America. For a large number of growing vines on the mainland, he named it Winland (Vinland).

However, the official discoverer of America is Christopher Columbus, an outstanding navigator who landed on the island of Puerto Rico at the end of the 15th century, as well as on the islands of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean. Soon after the discovery of the New World, the first European colonizers moved to the mainland. First of all, England claimed this land of wealth and abundance. The first permanent English colony was formed in 1607. A few years later the Puritans arrived, who formed the Plymouth colony.

In the XVIII century, the colonists arrived from different European countries. By that time, the British had already established 13 colonies on the Atlantic coast. The northern region of America, that is, Canada was controlled by the French, with whom the British had competed for a long time over territorial issues. By the end of the century, England controlled the entire continent. In 1776, the first president, George Washington, claimed the Declaration of Independence. The main author of the document was Thomas Jefferson.

From this period, a new stage in the country development began. Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the USA and carried out a number of significant reforms. So, for example, in 1803 he bought Louisiana from France out, thereby almost doubling the country’s territory. At the beginning of the 19th century, there appeared several aspects. The most acute question was the abolition of slavery, as according to the Declaration of Independence “all people are born equal.”

A. Lincoln, who became the 16th president of America, managed to resolve this issue in the country. The Civil War (1861-1865) put an end to slavery and united all the states into a single whole. A few years later, the United States was already one of the leading industrial powers. However, rapid economic growth had its “pitfalls.” Large companies began to unite in trusts, trying to create a monopoly in the market. Then, the federal government had to introduce a series of new laws restricting trade.

The beginning of the 19th century was marked by the First World War. Despite the efforts of President W. Wilson to maintain neutrality, in 1917 the United States still had to participate in the war. In 1929, the Stock Market collapsed and the Great Depression began, which lasted almost 10 years. This economic crisis has affected the whole world, but most noticeably the United States, Canada, and European countries.

In 1939, another war started in Europe – World War II. The United States reiterated its neutrality, but in 1941, after the defeat of the Pearl Harbor base, they entered the war against Japan and its allies. The post-war period was marked by tense relations with the Soviet Union. It was the so-called Cold War. In 1969, a spaceship to the moon was first launched with N. Armstrong aboard.

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